1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to dump truck vehicles, and more particularly, to a dump truck which is adapted as a spreader.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Spreader/dump truck vehicles are well known in the art. Such vehicles are adapted especially for the purpose of spreading road salt on winter roads as well as conventional dump truck purposes, such as transporting sand and other granular materials.
Most such spreader/dump trucks are of the type whereby the dump body is tiltable fore and aft of the truck chassis, in combination with a conveyor which extends laterally thereof for feeding road salt to a rotary disc type spreader situated below the chassis. It has been found that a dump body which tilts fore and aft can seriously shift the center of gravity of the load and thus of the vehicle rendering the driving of the vehicle hazardous during a spreading mode.
It has been suggested to have a side dump truck with a conveyor extending longitudinally of the body. Such a construction is illustrated in U.S. Pat. No. 3,010,727, Swenson et al, 1961, wherein a longitudinal conveyor is provided on the side of the truck frame and the whole dump box tilts about a longitudinal axis adjacent the conveyor However, such an arrangement presents a problem of shifting the center of gravity laterally relative to the direction of travel of the truck which can also present a driving hazard.
Another factor affecting spreader/dump trucks is the increase in weight caused by the additional frame structure to provide for side tilting and rear dumping of the dump box and the additional reinforcing of the frame to accommodate such a versatile dump truck.